Media watchdog CMFR magsasara na ngayong Sept. 30

Crystal Anne Cu

Ipinahayag ng Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility (CMFR) ang pagsasara ng kanilang organisasyon sa Setyembre 30 dahil sa kakulangan ng pondo para sa pagpapatuloy ng kanilang serbisyo, ayon sa kanilang Facebook post noong Setyembre 18.

Ipinaliwanag ng media watchdog na bagama’t bumubuhay sa kanila ang suporta mula sa Pilipinas at mga internasyonal na organisasyon, nagkaroon ng hamon sa paglikom ng pondo  kaya hindi na sapat ang kanilang resources para magpatuloy sa operasyon.

“Philippine and international funding support has sustained the work of CMFR, but multiple factors have affected the funding environment, making it difficult for CMFR to secure the necessary funds for its operations,” pahayag ng CMFR. 

Itinatag noong 1989 ni Melinda Quintos de Jesus, nagsilbi ang CMFR bilang media watchdog sa bansa  sa loob ng halos 37 taon na isinilang kasabay ng muling pagbangon ng malayang pamamahayag matapos ang 14 na taong diktadurya ni Marcos Sr. 

Ayon kay  De Jesus, Presidente at CEO ng CMFR, dahil sa patuloy na pagbaba ng international grants, lalo noong magsara ang mga pangunahing pinagkukunan ng pondo mula Estados Unidos , nahirapan ang non-profit group  na mapanatili ang mga programang pang-media development at iba pang institusyonal na gawain nito. 

“It was indicated by the global situation in terms of the available funding that we have had to depend on for much of our existence. We have been supported by international grants, mostly. That has receded, it has declined through the years,” saad ni De Jesus.

Inamin din ni De Jesus  na sa kabila ng patuloy na pangangailangang pondohan ang kanilang operasyon, naging hamon ang kakulangan at kawalang-katiyakan ng resources na kinakailangan para sa pagsasagawa ng kanilang layunin. 

“It had always been funding that was central to operations. One had to watch that you had everything that you needed to pay the personnel to reach out to the different sources around the country and even abroad… all of this had, of course, had costs. And so as a CEO,… my eye was always on whether the money was going to be available or not. It was an annual cycle that I had to pay attention to,” sabi ni De Jesus.

Naniniwala siya na may makapapalit at makapagpapatuloy sa kanilang gawain, dahil naitatag na ang organisasyon bilang isang mahalagang “watchdog ng media” na hindi nakasalalay sa iisang tao lamang. 

“It’s been difficult work to do what we’ve done. Sure, anybody who takes over, yes, will find these difficulties. But I think what we’ve cleared for whoever takes over is the acceptance for the role of a watchdog for the watchdogs, of a voice that will be raised in case the media does not do the right thing or may need some help clarifying how the coverage should be going, what the audience needs. And all of these will grow through experience. I have faith that certainly it is not dependent on any one person,” saad niya.

Ipinagmamalaki niya na napalago nila ang journalism review sa Pilipinas bilang mekanismo upang suriin ang gawain ng media at itaguyod ang malayang pamamahayag na may kaakibat na pananagutan. 

“We are proud for retaining a following in the media. The target audience was for the media to be able to accept critical evaluation of the work that they do,” wika  niya. 

Matapos ang mga  pagtutol at pagdududa na kanilang hinarap noong unang itinatag ang journalism review, binigyang diin niya  na  napatunayan ng oras ang halaga nito sa pagsusulong ng malayang pamamahayag ng demokrasya sa bansa. 

“I am proud that we have done the first, so far, the only, formally declared journalism review in a country in Asia,” aniya, ngunit, “I’m not saying that no one else can do this, but it was just so in the environment that we were, that we were growing the things that we needed to ensure that the press worked not only with the constitutional protection that we have in our constitution for our freedom, but also that freedom be valued valued as a service by the journalists themselves and the obligations that are attached to that.